Details
WEYMOUTH
SY6878NW CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY
873-1/24/62 (North side)
18/06/70 No.8
Custom House
GV II
Warehouse and living accommodation, later Custom House,
currently occupied by HM Coastguard. Late C18 original fabric,
much modified early C19.
English bond brickwork front with some darker brick to quoins
and jambs, and diaper decoration, rendered returns and back,
slate roof.
PLAN: building returns to East Street at an obtuse angle, and
the back is in Helen Lane; the original layout had the main
staircase to the right, between 2 principal rooms, and the
second floor was one large storage space, but there have been
later sub-divisions.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys and attic; the Quay front is 2 windows
wide, but with an inserted square, flat-roofed oriel to the
second floor, with glazing bars to a 2-light front and
single-light return, with transom, and vertical boarded skirt.
This is flanked by 6-pane centre-hung casements to cambered
heads, above 2 large 12:12:12-pane oriels with panelled
frieze, dentil cornice, and panelled mullions, to plain skirts
over paired 4-pane sashes to a wide mullion and stone sills.
At the centre a pair of panelled doors in an arched opening
has a C20 channelled surround, with open triangular pediment
on heavy consoles. Above this is a painted Royal Arms in
cast-iron. There is a plinth, stone frieze mould and cornice,
blocking-course and coped parapet.
The left return, rendered, has a large stack.
The front to East Street is rendered, with a 9-pane pivot
window flanked by louvres over a 12-pane sash in flush moulded
box; at ground floor is a 4-pane sash, and two 6-panel doors
in heavy Roman Doric pilaster doorcases. Eaves stack at the
centre.
Rear, in 2 sections, has a flat-roofed dormer with slate
cheeks, with central 6-pane light flanked by horizontal
boarding. At second floor are 3- and 2-light casements with
transoms to wide segmental heads, and 2 small 4-pane lights,
above 2 paired 12-pane sashes with mullion, to segmental
heads, and at the ground floor a blocked doorway, broad
replacement door, and a 2-light window to heavy sill.
The second unit, to the right, which returns to a squared
rubble double gable end, has a similar dormer, but to a hipped
roof, above a broad 3-light with transom under segmental head,
paired 12-pane sash, and a 2-light, plus doors with louvres.
There is some stonework in the lower walls of both rear
sections, and the left-hand end has flush Portland stone
quoins.
INTERIOR: not inspected, but RCHME records moulded cornice and
dado to the first-floor front room, and the roof supported by
composite king-post trusses.
HISTORICAL NOTE: a panel in the entrance lobby records that
the building was used as a warehouse by Messrs Robilliard and
Ahier from 1794; Robilliard lived on the ground floor. The
large wheel and gibbet, on display, were part of the hoist
system in Helen Lane. By 1810 both men were out of business.
In 1874 the property was owned by Sir Frederick Johnstone, who
leased it to HM Customs. It was purchased by the Secretary of
State in the 1970s, but vacated by Customs in 1985. In July
1988 it was taken over by HM Coastguard.
(RCHME: Dorset, South-East: London: 1970-: 339).
Listing NGR: SY6802778725
